Violin For Dummies.! New Book 2008 !

By Katharine Rapoport

ISBN: 978-0-470-83838-9
Paperback
432 pages
January 2008

RRP £14.99

Book Description

Take a bow and start playing tunes with this friendly guide!
Whether you're an aspiring classical musician or you just want to fiddle around, Violin For Dummies will have you making music in not time. This interactive book-and-CD-ROM package makes it easy with step-by-step instruction on everything from simple tunes to show-stopping techniques. With coverage of musical styles including classical, country, and jazz, this is the ultimate guide to the violin.
 
Discover how to:

• Choose the right violin and accessories
• Develop correct violin and bow hold
• Understand the language of music
• Play classical, country, gypsy, and jazz
• Tune, change strings, and perform simple maintenance
• Find listings of all our books
• Choose from many different subject categories
• Sign up for eTips at etips.dummies.com

MP3 files of every song and exercise from the book.
Video clips demonstrating techniques to help you pick up and play.

Table of Contents

Part I: So You’ve Always Wanted to Play the Violin…

Introducing the Violin
Strings and Bows: the Parts of a Violin
How Violins Work
Cracking the Case: Taking the Violin Out and Putting it Away
In Tune with Things
Tuning the Violin
Using electronic tuners
Tuning with the piano
Dealing With Pegs and Fine Tuners
Holding Up Well
Understanding the Importance of a Good Violin Hold
How to Hold Your Violin
Standing position
Sitting position
Reading from a music stand
Chinrests and Shoulder Rests: Finding a Good Fit
Fixing Common Problems With the Violin Hold

Part II: A Sound Start

Take a Bow
Preparing the Bow
Tightening the horsehair
Using rosin on your bow
Getting a Grip on the Proper Bow Hold
The famous diva method
The hidden treasures method
Setting the Bow on the Strings
Understanding bowing signs
Bowing on different strings
Playing Your First Concert!
Smooth and Clean: Two Bowing Styles
Getting the Left Hand Right
Getting in Touch With the Strings
The Number System: Making Your Fingers Count
Knowing which finger to use
Putting Your Fingers on the Right Spots
Step and Touch: How Semitones Work
All Together Now
Hands Together
Bowing and fingering at the same time
Exercising your co-ordination
Making Music (without Actually Reading Any!)
Using our handy charts
Keeping an eye on the chart and your playing!
The Top of the Charts: 4 Simple Songs

Part III: Reading Music on the Violin

5 Lines Translated Onto 4 Strings
What All Those Blobs Mean
All Good Boys Deserve Fun –And So Do Girls!
Charting Your Way With the Fingers On
The Key To Key Signatures
We’re Counting On You - Guide to Rhythm
One Beat at a Time: Quarter Notes
Raising the Bar
Take Note: Other Common Notes
Adding Dots (No Need to Cross the T’s!)
Getting Ticked Off – A Guide to Metre
Counting in 4s
Counting in 3s
Everything Else Can Be Done From 4s and 3s!

Part IV: Musicianship and Harmony

Scaling the Heights
Climbing up and down
Marching through the Major Scales
Casting Light on those Minor Scales
Harping On about Arpeggios
The Keys to Knowledge
A Major And Its Finger Pattern
C Major And Its Finger Pattern
The Last 2 Finger Patterns You’ll Really Need!
12. Better Together: Harmony
In the Big Leagues: Major Chords
Digging For Minor Chords
Meet the Bossy Chords: Dominant 7ths

Part V: Taking it up a Notch; Techniques and Styles

Fancy Bows
Two Notes (or more) with One Stroke: Legato
Getting up to Speed and Dividing the Bow
Shaping the Sounds: Crescendo and Diminuendo
Mais Oui, Maestro: Taking on Accents
Putting Your Finger on It
Two Notes Are Better Than One: Easy Double Stops
Sliding into Shifts and Gaining an Advantageous Position
All Aquiver: Vibrato
Reeling Through the Years: A Quick Tour of Violin Styles
Fiddling Around
All That Jazz
Join the Caravan: Gypsy Violin

Part VI: Getting into Gear, Staying in Gear

Finding the Right Instrument For You
What Makes a Good Violin
Where to Begin Your Search
Deciding Whether to Buy or Rent Your Violin
Getting Plugged into Electric and Electronic Violins
Instrument care and Maintenance
Changing Strings
Upgrading Your Case
Changing Chinrests
Useful Accessories
Cleaning the Violin
Rehairing the Bow

Part VII: The Part of Tens

Ten Performers and Their Recordings
Ten Ways to Go Beyond This Book
20. Finding a Teacher: Ten Tips

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